Surprise Fatherhood
by sherlocked-x
Summary: Severus was sent to the Dursleys to check on Harry and ends up bringing the boy with him instead. What will happen next?
1. Chapter 1

Severus cursed Albus Dumbledore for the umpteenth time that night. The nerve of the old man to send him all the way to Privet Drive to check on the spoiled Potter spawn! Jaw clenched tightly as he neared Number 4, his sharp eyes detected a lone figure slumped on the pavement. Eyes narrowing into tiny slits, he slapped himself inwardly as he approached the boy.

"What, may I ask, are you doing out here, young one?" he asked, surprised at the gentle tone his voice carried.

The little boy sniffled and curled up even tighter as the December wind blew. "My Auntie told me to stay here."

"Stay out of her sight?" Severus supplied, lowering himself to the boy's level.

With a slight shake of his head, the boy slowly responded. "No. She told me to stay out of the house. She said that freaks deserved to stay on the streets without dinner."

Reminded painfully of his memories as a child, Severus transfigured a fallen leaf into a wool sweater surreptitiously and handed it to the little boy. Upon seeing the gift, the boy started to reach for it before pulling back abruptly.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm sorry." The child cried, looking up at him for the first time. Suddenly, memories rushed into his mind. Those round, emerald eyes of Lily Potter - so vivid and so real, in front of him. He reached out to touch the boy's forehead, brushing away the grim and lanky hair to reveal the lightning-shaped scare of the Boy-Who-Lived. Here was Harry Potter... clearly malnourished and small for his age. For the first time since the elder Potters death, Severus was stunned speechless.

The silence that stretched between the two people on the pavement was broken when the smaller of them whimpered in fear. "Please don't beat me, sir. I'll be good, I promise."

The words jolted Severus back to the present, and he shook his head quickly. Obviously, the boy was beaten by his relatives... like what Tobias Snape had done to him and his Mother before the older Snape died. Pulling out his wand in a fashion that was too slow for a wizard of his degree to avoid scaring the boy even more, he cast a Drying and Warming Charm over the shivering child before slipping the sweater on the boy's body. _'My God, what have these people done?'_ he thought to himself as he gathered the child in his arms.

"Have you come to take me away, sir? Are you an angel?" A hopeful voice asked, and the Potions Master's heart melted at being addressed in such away. "I am not an angle, but yes, I have come to take you far from this place. You are Harry Potter, no?" he responded.

"Yes, sir. My parents died in a car crash when I was little. My Auntie, Uncle and Dudders got me when they died." At the phrase 'car crash', rage filled Severus. Lily? A car crash killed _Lily Potter_? Infuriated, he strode to the door and opened it without preamble - respect being the last thing on his mind. Instantly, his lips curled in a disgusted sneer at the sight of Petunia, her morbidly overweight husband, and their _fat_ son. "Tuney." he drawled, his vehement repulse dripping from his words.

"What are _you_ doing here?" screeched the woman in address, her horsey face contorted in a mixture of fear and anger. Though fear won over the latter.

"Is that the way you treat your visitors, Tuney? I wouldn't want to be your house guest, then." the man said with a smirk, his temper solidly kept in check as the older male Dursley observed him with a frown. Harry's cousin merely kept to his food, grabbing at the feast before him. Severus had never seen a child so like a glutton than Dudley Dursley.

"You are neither, Snape, and you have no business here. Lily is _dead_, in case you've forgotten. She has laid in her well-deserved grave for 5 years already." the woman had the nerve to snap at him.

Her words were enough to snap his patience. "Lily died to save her son and the Wizarding world, and you treat him like dirt. Are you still so jealous that Lily had magic that you take it out on her son?"

The three Dursleys gasped at the mention of the forbidden 'm' word, and even Harry squirmed nervously in his arms, burrowing his face into his cloak.

"He is a freak, and nothing more, just like my sister. I was never jealous of her, for I was the only one who saw her as she was. A f_reak_! Always bringing home toadstools and frogs that jumped and whatnot. Mummy and Daddy loved their Lily. She was always the perfect one, the pretty one, and the one with magic. Then she got herself pregnant with that Potter boy, and blew themselves up. We never _wanted_the child, Snape. But Lily, though dead, still gets what she wants."

Something flashed in Severus' eyes, and he hissed with fury, putting Harry on the floor. "No more than you are, bitch. Lily didn't _want_Harry to be sent here as much as you disliked it."

Vernon Dursley stood and scraped his chair back, raising himself and pointing a pudgy finger at Severus. "You are trespassing, sir! You have no right to talk to my wife like that!"

A jet of light burst from Severus' wand as Harry cowered behind his leg, and Vernon dropped unconscious on the floor. Petunia screeched and rushed to her husband's side, and glared at Snape, draping a hand protectively over her Duddykins, who had stopped eating and was now staring fearfully at him. "Take the brat, then. We don't care what happens to him!"

Severus sneered and charmed the house to always show signs of dirt, and gave Vernon a pig's tail and Dudley a pig's snout. '_How fitting._', he thought. Petunia elicited a horrified sound, and Severus bit out his last words as he relished the expression that passed across the woman's face. "Yes, _Tuney_, I'm taking Lily's son with me."

With that, he strode out of Number 4, Privet Drive with Harry in his arms once again. "Where are we going?" the little boy asked before his eyes went wide open and he clapped a hand over his mouth, his eyes filling with tears. "I'm so sorry, sir! Please don't give me back to them. I promise I won't ask questions no more!"

Sighing, Severus shifted the boy in his arms. "We're going to my home. And Harry..." The boy looked up at him fearfully, and he ran a hand over the child's hair absently. "... It's okay to ask questions. Your Auntie's not here anymore, and she won't be, unless _I_have a say in it."

Wide eyes shining in delight, Harry smiled somewhat hesitantly and stuck a thumb into his mouth. "Thank you, sir." After a brief pause, he continued. "Are you my Daddy now?"

Severus' jaw was tempted to drop in shock, but he controlled himself and smirked at the child instead. "No, Harry. Not yet." He found the words escaping his mouth to be surprising, but he realized he truly didn't mind to raise the boy as his son, after all.

His son. It wasn't so bad. _Lily would be proud of him._

**... to be continued**


	2. Chapter 2

A scream tore apart the silent atmosphere in Spinner's End, and Severus drew his wand automatically, looking around him. He put the piece of wood back as he noticed the source of the sound. Young Harry was flailing hysterically beside him, trapped in some kind of nightmare with the blankets wrapped tightly around his body, probably from struggling. The moment Severus drew the boy to him, Harry woke up and immediately snuggled into the comforting warmth of Severus' nightshirt, the boy's fist curled tightly around the fabric. At the heavy sobs that escaped the boy, the man could hardly make out the spoken words.

"Harry, son, shush... What's wrong?" he asked in a worried tone, his voice washing over the child like honey. 

"Don't take me back." Hiccup. "Please don't, sir!" Harry pleaded, tear-filled eyes gazing up at him imploringly. _Lily's eyes. _Sighing quietly, the Potions Master stepped out of the bed, the little boy still clinging to him. "I will never take you there again, young one." Sniffling, but nonetheless reassured of his fate, the boy stopped sobbing and rested his head on Severus' shoulder, a few hiccups escaping him.

"Would you like some hot chocolate to help you get back to sleep?" Severus asked, making his way to the kitchen, the boy propped on his hip as he summoned a house-elf quietly as to not draw the child's attention to it, gesturing for the drink to be made, expecting an affirmative answer from Harry.

"Yes, please." Harry answered with a yawn as Severus pulled out a chair and sat on it with him on the man's lap. The drink appeared before them, and the boy's eyes grew wide, staring at it in awe. "Where did it come from?" 

Severus chuckled and cast a mild cooling charm on the drink so it wouldn't burn the boy's tongue. "It's magic." "B-b-but there's no such thing as magic!" the boy answered, turning to face the Potions Master. Severus' face held an undecipherable expression before he answered in a soothing tone. "There is, Harry. I'm a wizard, and so are you. We can perform magic, contrary to what your relatives have drilled in you." Understanding dawned on the boy's face and his expression lit up like one of those colorful Christmas lights. "Wicked!"

Smirking, Severus motioned to the rapidly cooling drink. "Go on, have some chocolate. It's still too late in the night and too early in the morning for you to be up and about." His sadness vanishing, Harry turned back to face the table, beginning to drink the tasty concoction the house-elves had provided for him - though he didn't know that - while Severus stroked his hair and back in the sort of way a father might've done to his son. So caught up was he by his thinking that he almost didn't notice that the boy had fallen asleep in his arms.

xxx 

"Daaaaddy!"

Severus woke up to a small body hurling itself against his own, and for a moment, he frowned, confused at who would wake him up that way, but when the human ball sat on his chest and grinned triumphantly at its obvious success, realization kicked in. He shook his head and tweaked the little boy's nose, rolling his eyes and drawling a lazy "Good morning." Harry began bouncing on his chest, answering him with a wide grin. "Good Morning, Daddy." '_Woah, wait. Hold up.', _he thought. _'Daddy?' _His thoughts were left unanswered, though, as the boy slid off him and onto the floor, pulling his hand rather insistently. "Let's go. I'll make breakfast and be a good boy."

At the phrase 'make breakfast', Severus pushed himself up and looked down on the boy, raising a brow. "No. If you were the one who did the chores and cooked food in your Aunt's house, you won't be doing it here. We have certain... servants... who do them. However, you will keep this room clean and will pick up your own mess. Understood?" The child's eyes grew as wide as plates, and after a moment, he threw them around Severus' stomach. "Thank you,", was all he said, arms tightly wound around the other man's.

"Let's go down now, I'm sure the elv—breakfast is ready." Severus said gruffly, planting a kiss on the boy's hair before he unlatched the two skinny arms and held out a hand. Grinning up at him, Harry tugged him downstairs, stomach grumbling in hunger. Surprised even at himself, the Potions Master let out a chuckle, smirking at his newfound spawn. He could get used to days like this.

"What do you want to eat?" he asked. "Pancakes, Daddy." the little boy answered. Knowing the elves could hear, he just nodded and allowed himself to be dragged toward the table. Harry sat across from him, clambering to reach his seat, his chest barely over the top of the table. Amused, but at the same time feeling a pang at the boy's obvious malnourishment, Severus spelled the table to lower itself in order to accommodate the child. Harry shot him a look of pure astonishment, and he brandished his wand before the food appeared on the table. "Will I have one, too?" the child asked, fixing his eyes on the wand. "Of course. When you're big enough, I will buy you one of these to use in school."

Obviously satisfied, Harry started to work on wolfing down his pancakes as Severus just looked at him with a mixture of fondness and sorrow. The boy was a daily reminder of Lily Evans, the girl he never stopped loving, even after 5 years of her death. He couldn't let her go, and deep inside, a part of him still believed she was alive. If only belief could turn into facts. "Is something wrong, Daddy?" a soft voice asked, and he turned toward it, surprised as he saw Harry standing beside him with worry in his eyes. "Did I do something bad?" "No, Harry, you didn't. I was just… revisiting a few memories, is all." he answered, smiling reassuringly at the boy. "Why are you calling me 'Daddy', by the way?" he continued, regretting his question as the words were out of his mouth. "Because you said I was your son last night," the boy answered, looking confused. The events of the previous night flooded Severus' mind and he remembered the words he spoke. He _had_ called Harry 'son', and the boy had thought he was now his father. He was about to tell Harry that he wasn't the boy's father, but looking down at the child, his felt a prick in his heart and decided against it. "Ah… yes." he supplied, flashing Harry a small smile. "Would you like to play ball?" he asked, noting the way the boy's face flushed with happiness. "Yes!" came the jubilant answer, and he led the little one into the backyard, not noticing a woman observing them across the street. As they began playing, the woman smiled to herself, before turning her back and vanishing from sight.


	3. Chapter 3

Remus Lupin pounded on the door of Spinner's End, and almost instantly, he could hear the pitter-patter of small feet. It swung open to reveal a small rosy-cheeked child with startling green eyes that reminded him so much of Lily. The _late_ Lily Potter nee Evans.

"Hello," came the soft greeting. "Are you looking for my Daddy?"

The wolf tried to answer the child, albeit unsuccessfully, as his mind was still trying to wrap itself around the fact that Severus had a son. _Severus!_ He didn't have to wait longer, though, it seemed. The Potions Master came striding to the door, his face a mixture of worry and stern reproach, and Lupin wondered if he should either laugh or gape.

"Harry, what did I tell you about running off like that?" he asked, before seeing his visitor and setting an impassive mask on his face, turning a baleful eye on the wolf. "Lupin. What are you doing here? Did Albus send you?"

He smiled wanly before answering. "It's nice to see you too, Severus. Won't you let me in?"

The Potions Master stepped aside, and the young boy held up his hands in a gesture clearly asking to be carried. With a raised brow, Lupin stepped into the room as Severus acquiesced and carried his son.

"Why are you here?" he was again asked as soon as the door swung shut. His expression was blank as he responded. "I don't know, Severus."

A glare met him at that, and he rolled his eyes. "Lily. Lily brought me here."

Something snapped inside the usually dour man, and he spoke in volumes that raised the hairs on Remus' skin. "She is dead, Lupin. For 5 years now. I don't think you don't realize that you're treading on _very_ dangerous ground, so I suggest you explain. Or leave."

"It was after the Full Moon…" Remus began.

_Lily shimmered and appeared beside Remus, and the man's eyes widened in shock. "Hello, Moony," the ghost said, and the wolf's eyes brimmed immediately with tears._

"_Lily…" he was interrupted with her soft tinkling laugh. "Remus, go to Spinner's End and seek out Severus. I want you there to help him. Please." _

_His voice faltered as he spoke, "Why?", but the apparition was gone – gone like it had never been there. The only evidence of a ghost's visit was the confusion and pain in Remus Lupin's heart._

"You expect me to believe that Lily appeared to you in a dream?" Severus asked incredulously. "If so, then why didn't you come sooner? Surely you don't expect me to _believe_ the last full moon incapacitated you. It was _days_ ago."

A dry smile met the spoken words. "It takes me _days_ to recover after a blue moon, Severus." At this, the opposite man's guarded expression collapsed, and the wolf could see the lines of weary and strain on his face. "I suppose she wanted you to meet her son and help me." Snape said, and his companion's eyes almost popped out in shock. "This is Harry Potter."

The child in Snape's arms turned to face Remus. "But I'm Harry Snape now." Remus stood stock still, his eyes burning with rage. "You slept with…" Snape cut him off with a glare. "Gryffindor fool. Of course I didn't!" Lupin gave an apparently relieved sigh. "Albus sent me to check the Dursleys, and I saw this child beaten and treated like scum. I had to take him away without the Headmaster's knowledge as I know he would never allow it – for Lily's sake." The man looked constipated as he said those words, and Remus' heart broke a little at the sight of the scrawny child.

"Term will start soon. What are you going to do?" Severus shot him a look of pure annoyance. "Why else do you think Lily sent you here? To gape like a codfish?" It took a few moments for the implication to set in, and he closed his eyes wearily. "So I'll be taking care of Harry, then."

"You do know how to handle a child, don't you?" A dry laugh came out of Severus' mouth and he clapped the lycanthrope on the back, moving toward the kitchen. "Be here before the next full moon, and I might just give you a batch of Wolfsbane to help you through the transformation."

Remus shot the man a withered glare before huffing in response. "Severus." The Potions Master turned slightly, icy features back in place. "If you're done here, you might as well leave, Lupin. I have a child to put to sleep. You know where the door is." Knowing he was defeated, the wolf combed a hand through his hair before heading out of the house.

"Until then, Severus. I'm glad we reached a compromise." Severus' lips thinned into a hard line similarly like McGonagall's, and the door shut faintly as their visitor stepped out of Spinner's End.

Only seconds passed after their guests' departure before Harry spoke in his high, trilling voice. "Daddy Sev'rus…" The man in address let out a soft questioning hum as he carried the boy to the bedroom for an afternoon nap. "Who was that?" Harry continued.

Severus took a deep breath before answering. "That was Remus Lupin, an old acquaintance of mine. Of course, your mother loved him so much as a brother that he is more or less your Uncle by name. He was also James' – your dad's – bestfriend."

Silence reigned over the two as Severus pulled back the covers and nestled the child in between the sheets. It wasn't long, though, before Harry broke the silence. "Daddy, will he live with us?"

He was answered with an amused snort. "If he proves to be good at his job, then I might extend household privileges. You're almost old enough to go to school, and I have to work. Lupin – er, your Uncle Remus – would make good company."

It seemed like their conversation wouldn't stop there, and Severus was right when the child piped up with not one, but a couple of fresh sentences. "But I don't want to go to school. I want to stay here with you and play. You'll do that, right Daddy? You'll play with me and Uncle Remus? Please?"

Severus sighed and faced the little boy. "I have to teach, Harry, and you have to learn how to control your magic, but I will come home on the weekends, so we can still play and spend time with each other. Will you like that?"

With a sniffle, the boy snuggled into the Potions Master's shirt. "I'll miss you, Daddy."

He got a kiss on the forehead in return. "I won't be gone till the last week of August, scamp. Now go to sleep. I won't disappear when you wake up."

With one last sniffle, Harry hiccupped lightly before falling into a deep sleep, Severus at his side. Nearby, Lily's ethereal form vanished, leaving a fog on the window pane.


	4. Chapter 4

Severus gave the crying Harry one last hug and a kiss on the forehead before pulling away with an almost pained expression. Turning to Lupin who was trying to calm the child, he gave a brief nod before stepping into the bright green flames. "Hogwarts!" was heard from the Potions Master, and in a flash, he disappeared.

xxxxx

"Severus, my boy!" came Dumbledore's jovial greeting as the man stepped into the staff room. Equal words of welcome came from his colleagues, but only Minerva McGonagall stood and gave him a motherly hug. All others didn't want a death wish so soon in their lives. His body was stiff as always, but he raised a hand to pat the witch on the back.

"Good afternoon, Headmaster. Everyone," he spoke in his low, velvet tone, taking a seat beside Flitwick – the Charms professor. A goblet of Ogden's finest appeared in front of him, and he inwardly thanked the house elves for the beverage. It would perhaps be the only thing to keep him from having a throbbing headache from all the 'socializing'.

The meeting began, and he tuned out everything that didn't concern him, giving only an occasional nod and a hum in assent when needed. Sipping the fiery drink, he allowed his mind to wander, remembering how he met Lily, barely even feeling the pang in his chest. His attention was captured when the other professors scraped back their chairs and trickled slowly out of the room. Dumbledore's voice stopped him from following the others out.

"Did you have a nice summer, Severus?" Dumbledore asked as they were seated in his office. A cup of tea was held by the Potions Master's long, slim fingers, but not one sip was taken. The man knew better than to drink the Headmaster's sickly, sweet brew.

"Adequate," he answered, staring impassively at his mentor. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled behind his half-moon spectacles as he regarded the younger man. "Did you do what I asked you to?" His question was met with a snort and a monosyllabic "Yes." Realizing that he could get no more from the Potions Master, Dumbledore sat back with a smile sigh. He would have to find another way to get the acerbic man to reveal what he found out in the Dursley's.

"If that is all, Headmaster, I have a jar of turpentine left to add to a batch of potions I am brewing for the Hospital Wing." Severus spoke, putting the teacup on the table. He stood and made his way to the door, noting how the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes vanished before he answered. "This is not the end of it, my boy."

Only the sharp tap of the Potions Master's shoes on the stone stairs were heard as Severus descended, knowing it would be hard year for him and his newfound son. Especially with Albus – the meddling old bastard – on their heels.

xxxxx

Harry was still crying when the flames on the hearth died out, his face buried in the folds of his uncle's robes. At first, the man was perplexed with no knowledge on how to calm down the child, but after a few futile attempts, he decided to let the boy 'cry it out'.

A few sniffles signaled the closing of the waterways, and Remus carefully nudged his bestfriend's son. "Do you want a cup of hot chocolate?" he asked, looking at the small, tear-streaked face. A nod answered him, and he lifted a cup to the boy's mouth. Hiccupping lightly, Harry sipped the drink, pausing to suck on the marshmallows before swallowing them.

"Will my Daddy come back, Uncle Remus?" a small voice piped up, filled with sadness and apprehension. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he brushed away the boy's hair from his forehead. "Of course, Harry. Daddy said that he would be here to send you off on your first day of school, right?" The child nodded, but his lower lip quivered in silent protest. "But… tha- that's fifteen days away!"

"I'm sure we'll find fun things to do," the werewolf said in a soothing voice as he tried to console the little boy.

That night, Remus heard feet shuffling in the hallway. Harry's room was a few doors from his, and he snatched his wand, stealthily moving toward the door. The noise stopped, and he threw open the piece of blockage before casting a hasty "Lumos".

There, swaddled in his duck-printed blanket looking scared and forlorn cradling the bear Severus had transfigured from an old tea rag, stood Harry. Remus blinked a few times before he put out the light and kneeled on the floor.

"May I sleep with you, Uncle Remus?" the boy asked with a small yawn. Casting a quick "Tempus" to check the time, he found out that it was just a little after one in the morning. Realizing that perhaps Harry had a nightmare and couldn't sleep, the wolf took him in his arms and carried him to the bed. "Of course you can, pet." Harry mumbled a barely audible thanks before snuggling into the werewolf's side and falling asleep.

xxxxx

A whole week passed, and Severus found himself nursing a bottle of Firewhiskey again. Just 8 days more before he was scheduled to return home and bring Harry to school. _Home_. It was almost strange that he was referring to Spinner's End as something more than a hovel to hide himself in the summers. The arrival of Lily and James' son certainly made him soft. He was busy marking papers when a knock came from the door of his office. Pulling it open, he came face to face with the Headmaster, and he stepped aside for the man to come in, knowing it would be fruitless for him to close the door in the old codger's face. "What do you want, Albus?" he snapped, giving a Hufflepuff's essay a D. "I want you to chaperone the Hogsmeade weekend, Severus, and also teach Minerva's classes on Monday," came the answer, twinkling blue eyes hiding the severity of the words.

"I'm afraid that I cannot, Albus. I have something scheduled on those days, and I was going to tell you of my absence on Monday tomorrow," he said, frowning. "What could be so important as to warrant your presence away from your classes, Severus?" the Headmaster asked, raising a brow. "Nothing that concerns you, Headmaster," was his response, only to be waved away by the man in half-moon spectacles. "Nevertheless, I am expecting you to report to your duties on those days. We simply _need_ you here, especially since Minerva will be going home to visit her ailing mother."

He was left with an unsaid retort as Albus smiled and disappeared from his office victorious. Walking back to his desk, he pushed aside the essays and began writing a letter.

_Remus,_

_I cannot make it to Harry's first day of class as Albus has made me teach Minerva's classes and chaperone Hogsmeade weekend as well. I am sending a box of Honeydukes chocolates I would have brought over myself. You are welcome to a fine share of it, as it is both yours and Harry's. Do make sure that he doesn't get sick over the sweets._

_Tell him that I am sorry and will do my best to visit him on another weekend._

_Severus_

Tying the note around the owl's leg and attaching the parcel, he watched as the bird flew out of his office and straight into the setting sun, heading for the house his "son" shared with the werewolf. The young boy would be devastated, but there was nothing he could do to change the Headmaster's decision. Perhaps it was not the right time for him to visit Spinner's End. Maybe it was fate pushing him away from the direction that would one day lead him and Harry to a dire situation. Whatever it was, he didn't know how it would affect his life just yet.

He had no idea what was coming, but something was looming on the horizon… something neither he nor the Headmaster was expecting…


	5. Chapter 5

Remus Lupin was having one hell of headache. Harry had refused to stop crying the entire night after his first day in school, and he knew it was because of the surly _and missing _Potions Master. He stifled a curse and covered his ears as the child's wailing became even more irritating. Of course, he couldn't blame the boy. Severus Snape was the only father figure he had known in his life, and he missed the dour man terribly. It was almost strange to refer to Snape as a dad, but he knew the reasons for which the man took in Harry ran far deeper than his love for Lily. From what little he could make out of Spinner's End and the connection it had with its owner, he could only assume that Snape had his own problems and did not spend his childhood the way Sirius or Malfoy had. Perhaps those childhood regrets were what made him keep Harry. Even though he was James Potter's son – the very man whom he hated.

Shaking those thoughts out of his head, Remus stood up and sighed deeply, something which he hadn't done in a few weeks. His muscles creaking stubbornly from many hours of uselessness, and he went to the source of the crying, albeit unwillingly. The sight before him, though, clenched his heart, and he almost teared at the sight of the young boy huddled in the blankets. Summoning what little self-confidence he had left, he approached the bed and sat on it.

"Harry... Daddy will come back. You know he loves you, right? Just... just stop crying, please."

At the sound of his voice, Harry looked up from the pillow he was crying into and sniffled pitifully. His emerald eyes were red and tear-filled, but he swiped a hand over it and wiped away the tears.

"Uncle Remus, where's my daddy?" he asked with a hiccup, fresh tears ready to pour out of his wide eyes.

"He's working, Harry. For you. So he can buy you toys and clothes and food," the werewolf answered with a small smile, a frown line working its way into his forehead as he patted the boy's back comfortingly.

Remus tried his best not to give in to the temptation of dropping in at Hogwarts when Harry spoke next.

"But I don't want toys. I want _my _daddy with me."

xxx

It was several days toward the full moon when Severus Snape walked into his house again. As if on cue, Harry ran at full speed toward him, and with a spontaneity that wasn't associated with the Potions Master, he swung the boy up and tickled him mercilessly. From the doorway of the kitchen, Remus smiled lightly, a satisfied expression on his face. It was one thing to see Snape happy; it was another to see him happy with a _child_ when he so openly expressed his disgust with children in general.

"Lupin," Snape greeted the other man with a nod, putting the boy down and allowing himself to be pulled to a 'world where cookies heat themselves and the milk is endless'. Apparently, they were learning about fairy tales in school and Harry was using his imagination at a full-scale pace.

He placed a vial on the table, shooting Remus a pointed look. Understanding dawning on the werewolf's face, he grasped the potion carefully and gave Severus a grateful smile. He almost forgot this part of their deal, but he wasn't complaining. Having Harry around and being a sane wolf during the full moon provided enough happiness to fill his heart.

As Harry chattered on and on to Snape, Remus sipped his tea, enjoying the bonding of father and child before him. The boy was no longer just James' son now. He was part of Severus too, the way both of them fit so perfectly together as if they were made for a paternal relationship.

Night came, and Severus surprised both boy and wolf as he stayed at Spinner's End instead of returning to Hogwarts. Neither of the two asked, somehow believing that if they questioned it, their magical bubble would pop and it would all turn out to be a dream.

On the night of the full moon, Remus locked himself in his bedroom waiting for the transformation. Below, he could hear Severus' footsteps as he paced across the library. Remus wondered what the problem was, but before he could brainstorm any further, the change came upon him. When he turned into a wolf, he could make out Harry's strained voice as the boy called out to the Potions Master. Severus himself sounded strained, as if he was carrying a heavy weight on his shoulders. Too exhausted to even scratch at the door, the wolf climbed on the bed and fell into a fitful sleep.

In Harry's room, things weren't going so well. The boy had developed a weird case of chicken pox, and had grown jobberknoll feathers in the past few hours. Severus had read every single book in his library that could have had a connection to Harry's condition, but to no avail. He couldn't even call Poppy for fear that the Headmaster would interrogate the matron. Strong-willed as she was, even her temperament couldn't match the wiles of the old codger.

Running out of options, Severus sat by the boy's bed, spooning soup into his son's waiting mouth. The feathers proved to be itchy, and he had to cast a spell so Harry wouldn't scratch at his arms and make blisters out of them.

"Daddy?" came the soft voice from beneath the blankets.

Severus made a noncommittal sound at the back of his throat and raised a brow in response.

"Please don't leave me."

A sad smile touched Snape's features for a moment before it gave way to pity and... was it _love_?

"Of course, son. Of course."

With a sigh of contentment, little Harry Potter curled up on his side, his small, clammy hand entwined in the Potions Master's strong one. The boy knew he was safe here, far away from the Dursleys where nobody would ever treat him like they did anymore.

xxx

_Tap, tap, tap_. Minerva grumbled in her sleep and turned her back against the window.

_Tap, tap, tap_. The noise went again. Disgruntled, the Head of Gryffindor swung her feet off the bed and opened the window. A black eagle-owl swooped inside her room and landed on top of her dresser imperiously; shaking the letter it was carrying impatiently. Recognizing the bird as Artemis, the Potions Master's owl, she shook her head and untied the parchment.

_Minerva,_

_Please come to Spinner's End immediately. Do __not__ notify Albus._

_Severus_

The note held no trace of malice, so Minerva changed into her robes and flooed to Spinner's End hurriedly. Since the fall of Voldemort and the death of Lily Evans, Severus Snape had seemed so distant and so off. She was afraid he might try to take his own life. The scene that greeted her held no consolation at all for what she feared.

Snape was in his house clothes, sitting worriedly on the couch, his long fingers steepled together at his nose. Her arrival surprised him, though, and he stood rigidly, his usually blank face holding an emotion she could not seem to place.

"Minerva, please. You have to help me."

Nodding only to indicate her willingness, Severus led her up the stairs and into Harry's room. She was surprised and a bit puzzled to find a young boy sleeping in the dour Potions Master's house that the first words that came out of her mouth took both of them quite by shock.

"Did you kidnap this boy, Severus?"

"N-no, of course not!" snapped the man in address a few moments after staring goggle-eyed at the Deputy Headmistress.

"Well, then I'm sorry for asking," the witch replied with a flush creeping up her cheeks. "What happened to him, though, may I ask?"

"He sprouted jobberknoll feathers three hours ago, and none of the books I consulted gave me the answer to his condition."

Humming lightly in assent, Minerva stepped closer to the boy and gasped in surprise.

"This is..." she clapped a hand over her mouth and looked at the man suspiciously. "Severus! Did you take Harry Potter away from the Dursleys without Dumbledore's knowledge?"

A slight jerk of the head was all she got from the bowing Potions Master, obviously ashamed at what he had done.

"He was beaten there, Minerva! Just like how my father treated me when I was young," he answered defensively, as if the witch would take the boy from him.

Instead of what he expected, though, Minerva walked toward him and squeezed his arm comfortingly. "There, there. I'll help you, Severus, and I assure you Albus won't know anything about this."

Obsidian orbs stared into her brown ones as Severus tried to place her words. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, the Potions Master did the one thing Minerva wasn't expecting.

He hugged her.

xxx

**a/n: Aaaaahhh! Forgive me for updating so late. I've been busy with school for the past few months, but now that it's summer vacation, I'll find the time to update more often. **

**Keep the reviews and the love coming in, you guys! 3 Also, suggestions are SO welcome. I'm still looking for a way to keep the spark in this one alive.**

**Thanks for sticking with me **


End file.
